A wisp of cotton-like cloud drifted quietly across the clear sky, instantly dimming the bright morning sun.
Lanqi looked at Hyperion, whose brows were knit low, and sensed she had misunderstood something.
His teacher wasn't even human to begin with.
Where would any disdain toward Hyperion even come from?
However, there was one slight problem—Talia assumed Lanqi didn't know she was a demon, and she had been keeping up the act of pretending to be human.
So even if Talia harbored no dislike for Hyperion in her heart, she would definitely put on a show of disdain just to stay in character!
After all, that coldhearted old hag Talia wouldn't care in the slightest about Hyperion's feelings or whether she hurt her.
"Er, my teacher actually treats demons just like I do—without any prejudice. She doesn't dislike demons at all in her heart. But she has a terrible temper and looks down on everyone. If she snaps at you, don't take it to heart... So I'll introduce you to her some other day when she's in a better mood. She's actually quite fun. When we start our company, maybe we can even hire her as a technical consultant!"
Lanqi chuckled heartily and explained.
"Okay."
Hyperion nodded earnestly. She trusted Lanqi's words.
Anyone capable of teaching a student like Lanqi surely wouldn't discriminate against demons.
Lanqi immediately returned to a solemn expression.
"Though we just talked about how hard it is to catch the Resurrection Church's spy in the academy, I have another way to bag cultists from the Resurrection Church."
"What?"
"Since the Resurrection Church wants to run into us in the Shadow World, why don't we turn their plot against them? We'll set up a task force right away, and in the next Shadow World, our objective will be to arrest Resurrection cultists! Cults are a tumor on social stability. For the sake of our loved ones and friends, for the harmony and happiness of our nation and cities, cracking down on cult activities brooks no delay!"
Lanqi's words were brimming with a sense of duty and conviction. As a zealous citizen who firmly believed in love and justice, he could hardly wait to bring this cult to justice.
He knew the laws of the land well.
Inside a Shadow World, even if one caught a Resurrection cultist, there was no way to immediately bring them back to the mortal realm and hand them over to the state.
The law clearly stipulated: "Should challengers encounter Resurrection cultists within a Shadow World, ensuring their own life and safety must be their highest priority. They may use any means available to deal with said cultists; challengers shall bear no legal liability for any resulting accidental death."
Which meant one could treat Resurrection cultists however one pleased in the Shadow World.
Naturally, locking them up for a bit of ideological education wouldn't be a problem at all!
"Hiss—!"
Had this been Hyperion's first time entering a Shadow World, hearing Lanqi's plan would have made her think he needed his head examined at a hospital.
Yet hearing him now, she found the plan surprisingly viable!
Lanqi in the Shadow World was an absolute terror.
Last time, they had simply run out of time to interrogate that wanted cultist who popped up, Lilette.
If they crossed paths with cultists again in the next Shadow World, and prepared in advance to go on the offensive as the real villains, they might actually manage to capture one!
Then they could interrogate them for intel, laying ample groundwork for their infiltration into the Resurrection Church on the Northern Continent.
Not to mention they had a heavyweight contender like Frey joining the squad.
Still...
Pulling off stunts like that, who was really the Resurrection Church here?!
Hyperion felt that if this kept up, her demonic citizenship was going to be revoked!
A gentle breeze brushed past, tugging at the corners of their clothes, while the plants seemed to wave their branches and leaves in greeting. The gentle babble of a stream flowing alongside the School of Alchemy's botanical gardens carried over, and the wind took on a richer scent of floral fragrance and moisture.
"We still have about a month of cooldown before we can enter the Shadow World, and right on the eve of that, I can take an exam at the Card Makers Association."
The two started walking again, chatting as they followed the wooded path.
Usually, their duties on the student council weren't very demanding; it was mostly for resting and relaxing.
Council President Monaster was also very pleased that a few first-year newcomers like them were willing to team up and challenge the Shadow World. That would net the student council a substantial amount of unexpected team points, which could then fund plenty of school-sponsored celebration activities for the council.
"What's a pity is that the timing of our next Shadow World overlaps with the academic visit from the Aloran Kingdom Academy that Senior Monaster mentioned."
Just a day or two after the three of them stepped into the Shadow World, the academic delegation from the Aloran Kingdom would likely arrive.
The president had simply told them to focus on challenging the Shadow World without letting their cooldown go to waste; the student council's reception duties could be handled by him and the vice president. If they were truly short-handed, they could always summon the elusive secretary back to help out.
"If we clear the next Shadow World quickly, once we return to the mortal realm, maybe we can help take some of the workload off the president's shoulders and entertain the guests from the Aloran Kingdom Academy," Hyperion responded with a smile.
When they emerged from the Shadow World, if circumstances allowed, they could help host the academic delegation, and after about another month of preparations at the academy, winter break would arrive.
If all went smoothly, they could set out for the Northern Continent to start their holiday project plan.
Everything was neatly arranged.
Soon, however, Hyperion looked up at Lanqi in surprise.
"Lanqi, you know how to make cards?"
Hyperion had always assumed Lanqi only knew how to craft some simple magical items!
The exam for registered card makers was notoriously difficult, certainly not something an amateur could pass by luck.
If that was the case, Lanqi's card-making skills had to be quite extraordinary.
Could it be that those distinctive, diabolical cards of his were actually all crafted by his own hands?
Hyperion stared at Lanqi in astonishment.
"Of course. Once my skills improve a bit more, our team will have its very own battlefield card maker. And whenever you need a card in the future, you won't have to go looking for a card maker at the association."
Lanqi grinned.
"The magic cards I make are amazing!"
"You really are all-purpose, Lanqi."
Looking at him, Hyperion couldn't help but smile warmly.
The cloud overhead finally drifted away, restoring the sky's former brilliance.
Natural light illuminated the path, repainting the emerald forest in sparkling hues.
"They say among the visiting Aloran students, there's a formidable magic engineering prodigy who happens to excel at wind magic and wants to visit Dean Loren to view [Original Slate - Wind]. Not a single student on our student council is from the School of Magic Engineering. The president originally worried people would look at us like magic engineering illiterates, but now it seems we'll be relying on you to keep up appearances, Lanqi."
In the student council, President Monaster and the secretary who never showed his face were both students of the School of Alchemy, majoring in business and intelligence respectively. Vice President Asna was a third-year from the School of Sages, and Frey was from the School of Knights. They lacked only students from the School of Magic Engineering.
In past councils as well, magic artificers rarely joined.
Compared to dealing with tedious campus affairs, they much preferred dedicating their time to magic engineering research. Joining a team was easy for them, and they were even carried through the Shadow World; as rear support personnel, magic artificers enjoyed quite high standing.
A magic artificer enrolled in the School of Sages like Lanqi was an even rarer sight—though naturally, he truly didn't know the various spellcasting arts that School of Sages students typically excelled in.
Hyperion realized that Lanqi's repertoire of talents was constantly expanding.
Aside from being a so-called "white mage," he now juggled the roles of lawyer, headmaster, and magic artificer. She truly wondered what else he might pick up as time went on.
"All right, I really need to practice crafting Tier 3 magic cards this month, and aim to pass the exam on my first try to get evaluated into a higher card maker rank. I hear the badge representing a card maker's status looks quite prestigious when worn."
"Then next month for your card maker exam, I'll come watch and cheer you on."
"No problem!"
Lanqi and Hyperion strolled leisurely across the lawn not far from the Old Liberal Arts Building, holding their cold, sweet-and-sour juices, chatting with smiles on their faces, their voices filled with relaxed ease.
Chapter 107